CBP recently issued a new withhold release order due to suspicions of goods made by forced labor, said CBP's list of such orders (here). The May 20 order applies to "Stevia and its Derivatives" made by "Inner Mongolia Hengzheng Group Baoanzhao Agricultural and Trade LLC; PureCircle Ltd." The order follows the recent elimination of an exemption to a ban on imported goods made by forced labor (see 1602260049).
CBP officials are in the very early stages of considering potential benefits for Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program members related to withhold release orders on goods suspected of forced labor production, said Thomas Kendrik, chief, strategic enforcement branch, at CBP. One possible C-TPAT benefit could involve exporting goods that are stopped due to a WRO, he said. "We have discussed with our partners over there at C-TPAT that expedited export could be a benefit," he said. Kendrik and other officials spoke at the West Coast Trade Symposium on May 26 in Phoenix.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for May 16-20 in case they were missed.
The U.S. has lifted its 50-year arms embargo against Vietnam, as Washington continues efforts to normalize relations with the country, President Barack Obama said during a press conference with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang (here). Launching a three-day trip to the Southeast Asian country, Obama and his Vietnamese counterpart also highlighted their commitment to quickly and fully implementing the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Despite a wide range of open questions about new antidumping and countervailing duty evasion enforcement proceedings, CBP fully expects to meet the required deadlines of the customs reauthorization law, said Carrie Owens, chief of CBP’s entry process and duty refund branch. Owens spoke during a panel discussion hosted by the American Bar Association on May 19. The agency is in the process of "furiously drafting" regulations and standard operating procedures related to the implementation of new AD/CVD enforcement measures, required to be implemented by Aug. 23, she said. The agency will also issue an interim final rule that will give some guidance as CBP seeks comments on proposed regulations, Owen said.
Strengthening ties with partner government agencies and industry has helped CBP to seize shipments that violate intellectual property rights and the greater engagement is hoped to translate into disrupting dumped steel shipments, CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske said on May 18 during the Global Supply Chain Summit hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (here). The new interagency task force will complement CBP’s recent use of single transaction bonds and imposing of “live entry” requirements on higher risk imports to protect government revenue and to find and deter evasion (see 1603030015)., he said. On May 2, CBP announced the creation of the unit to combat steel dumping and forced labor shipments (see 1605030032).
CBP addressed several concerns recently raised by importers and the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America about coming rules on imports made by forced or child labor (see 1605090007). There are several paths for importers to defend allegations importing goods subject to withhold release orders, said a CBP spokeswoman in an email. The agency also responded to questions about its use of risk-based targeting for WROs and training for CBP officers at the ports.
CBP will be “much more aggressive” in enforcing trade laws, and will use tools including withhold release orders, seizure, and review of financing streams, CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske told the Senate Finance Committee during a May 11 CBP oversight hearing. CBP is also stressing to industry the usefulness of simple tipoffs of potential trade crimes, despite the fact that stakeholders have submitted more formal documentation, like position papers, to request CBP enforcement action, Kerlikowske said. This should help small or medium-size enterprises (SMEs) to request action at a lower cost, he said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for May 2-6 in case they were missed.
A "broad array" of importers are "greatly concerned" with a CBP rulemaking that will revise the agency's regulations on imports made by forced or child labor, said the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America in an email to members. The rule changes are a result of the customs reauthorization law which repealed the "consumptive demand" exemption to the ban on imported products made by forced labor (see 1603010043). "There are a great number of unanswered questions about how the forced-labor provisions will now be enforced," said the NCBFAA. Among the open issues are how an importer will defend an allegation and CBP's plans for targeting, the trade group said. CBP didn't comment, but recently released a set of frequently asked questions on the issue (see 1604220017). CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske is scheduled to testify for the Senate Finance Committee about customs reauthorization implementation on May 11.